8 MARCH 2, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM New Queens shelters part of mayor’s homeless initiative BY ANTHONY GIUDICE AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM @A_GIUDICEREPORT If the city’s going to “turn the tide” and reduce homelessness, Mayor Bill de Blasio says, Queens will be a playing a major role in that eff ort. As the city continues to struggle with a surging homeless population, de Blasio announced on Feb. 28 his “Turning the Tide on Homelessness in New York City” plan, which aims to eliminate ineff ective and inadequate cluster sites and commercial hotels, and create new homeless shelters across the fi ve boroughs. Queens has the most shelter residents in commercial hotels — almost half of the city’s total — as the borough operates 40 hotels as homeless sites. Even so, de Blasio indicated this was not an ideal solution toward the growing rate of homelessness in the city. De Blasio noted that hotel rooms are more expensive to rent than the cost of traditional shelters, and cluster sites are often afflicted by poor conditions. Both cluster sites and commercial hotels do not have the space for onsite social services, making it more difficult for the individuals and families living in these locations to access the services need to get them back on their feet. By eliminating these cluster apartments and hotels, and moving residents into actual shelters, the mayor said, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) will be able to shrink its footprint and service the needs of the homeless. However, under de Blasio’s new plan, neighborhoods that have few shelters but a high density of commercial hotels that are housing homeless individuals and families — such as Maspeth, Elmhurst and Corona — should expect to see the city opening new shelters there. “As the city stops using 360 cluster and commercial hotel sites, it will open about 90 new high-quality shelters throughout the fi ve boroughs, prioritizing areas that lack or have a limited DHS presence,” the plan states. “The city plans to realign DHS capacity to meet the needs of New Yorkers entering shelter in each community district. By providing these homeless households with shelter, services and support in their own community whenever that is appropriate, the city will be helping families and individuals to maintain their community connections to stabilize their lives and move out of shelter as quickly as possible.” Photo via Shutterstock In an eff ort to engage with the communities, the city will not just create new homeless shelters and then leave. The plan states that for every new shelter that is required or being planned, DHS will create a community advisory board; these boards will hold regularly scheduled meetings with DHS staff , the shelter provider, and the NYPD, when needed. Local reps skeptical of shelter plans BY ANTHONY GIUDICE AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM @A_GIUDICEREPORT It’s a problem solver that doesn’t solve the problem. That was the reaction many Queens elected offi cials and activists had to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “Turning the Tide on Homelessness in New York City” plan that the mayor revealed on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The initiative — which includes building 90 new shelters while moving homeless people out of temporary housing in hotels — aims at stemming the growing rates of homelessness in New York City. Critics of the plan, however, charged that it does not address the true cause of homelessness: skyrocketing rents and people being forced out of their homes. A potential challenger to de Blasio, Councilman Eric Ulrich of Ozone Park, believes de Blasio’s plan doesn’t go nearly far enough to help the homeless population. “Mayor de Blasio set expectations so incredibly low on Tuesday that you have to wonder if he was even being serious. Over the next four years, he aims to move a mere 2,500 people out of the shelter system. This is an insult to the 60,000 plus New Yorkers who are desperately waiting for permanent housing,” Ulrich said. In Maspeth, the community banded together to protest the de Blasio administration’s push to convert the Holiday Inn Express on 55th Road into a homeless shelter for single adult men. In the mayor’s new plan, he aims to keep the homeless in shelters near their original neighborhoods. “There’s no doubt that our traveling protests infl uenced the mayor’s decision,” said Robert Holden, president of Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA), and a member of the Maspeth-Middle Village Task Force. “It is inhumane to warehouse people in hotels and we are glad we helped the administration see the light on this. Everyone agrees that the homeless from their communities should be helped locally, and this announcement is defi nitely a step in the right direction.” Assemblyman Brian Barnwell is taking a wait-and-see approach to the new homeless plan. “The fact of the matter is I don’t believe any politician when they speak. We need to see it in action. You can give a speech, promise things, but if you don’t deliver on things then the whole speech was for nothing,” Barnwell said. “I do think de Blasio is trying to address the situation that is going on, that he has learned from past mistakes. But it comes down to implementation.” State Senator Joseph Addabbo wants to hear more information on how this plan will get funded and is interested in how the community will be involved in where the shelter sites will be located. “In spite of all the limited facts and fi gures, I believe the mayor was short on explaining how he plans to fund this program, or who will provide the essential services for homeless individuals, or how the community will be included in the site selection for the 90 new shelter sites,” Addabbo said. Ridgewood gym permit tops Board 5 meeting Plans to legalize the operation of a gym in a manufacturing area of Ridgewood will headline the next Community Board 5 meeting on Wednesday, March 8, in Middle Village. As announced by District Manager Gary Giordano, the session will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Christ the King Regional High School, located at 68-02 Metropolitan Ave. The board will hold a public hearing on a Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) special permit application for Crossfi t Bridge and Tunnel, located at 1645 Decatur St. in Ridgewood. The special physical culture establishment permit would allow Crossfi t to operate at the location, which is in an M1-4D zoning district. Following the hearing, the board will proceed with its regular monthly agenda, which includes the public forum; a review of liquor license applications and demolition notices; reports by Chairperson Vincent Arcuri and District Manager Giordano; and committee reports. For additional information or to register to speak in advance, call the Board 5 offi ce in Glendale at 718-366-1834.
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